LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

urinary tract infections

Risk for Mortality and Mental Retardation w/ Maternal UTI – (07-02-01)

by

Risk for Mortality and Mental Retardation w/ Maternal UTI

I must admit that this is new info to me, but if this does hold out to be true I do have a strong recommendation for any women prone to urinary tract infections. Probiotic use in distilled water douches is just short of a miracle cure for many women with current or recurring UTIs or yeast infections. As an added benefit, an infant’s first exposure to lactobacillus is typically while traveling down the birth canal and this would ensure that exposure. It might be a good idea as a preventative measure to perform this douching periodically during pregnancy.

Read entire article here

Cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus for the prevention of UTI – (07-09-01)

by

Cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus for the prevention of UTI

Components of cranberry juice have been known for a long time to prevent or help get rid of urinary tract infections. It is believed to prevent the attachment of bacteria to the wall of the bladder. It does not surprise me that Lactobacillus orally did not show a positive response in this study. Personally, I strongly recommend using probiotics as a douche in distilled water or vinegar to maintain a healthy flora in the vaginal vault. If E. coli (the most common cause of UTIs) cannot establish a foot hood near the opening of the urinary tract.

bmj.com Abstracts: Kontiokari et al. 322 (7302): 1571

Read entire article here

Lactulose may help prevent urinary tract infections – (11-01-01)

by

Lactulose may help prevent urinary tract infections

This is an interesting editorial that really opens my eyes to something I’ve seen in practice. While I jump at the chance to recommend probiotics as a vaginal douche to help with UTIs or yeast infections, I have had patients whose irritation has resolved with oral probiotic use. This always surprised me; this article suggests that oral probiotics can lower the load of pathogenic bacteria reaching the stool and thereby lower risk of trans-location to the urinary tract. Interesting concept that may have answered this dilemma for me.

bmj.com Battle et al. 323 (7318): 936

Read entire article here

URINARY INFECTION RESULTS IN CORONARY SYNDROME – (07-18-05)

by

Urinary tract infection in patients with acute coronary syndrome

The association of infection with heart disease continues to grow.  Whether the infection is urinary, periodontal or respiratory, the association continues to be shown.  The infection, which can be a mild, low level infection without many symptoms, produces a constant activation of the immune system w/ subsequent inflammation.

Given the relationship of inflammation to vascular disease, the end result is not surprising.  Regardless, the recommendations remain the same–lifestyle changes geared towards lowering heart disease risks are the same ones that will boost the immune system.

Read entire article here

DO PROBIOTICS KNOCK OUT RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS? – (02-04-08)

by

Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Children

I honestly feel that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in children is one of the most devastating things we are doing to screw up their health for a lifetime. SO MUCH occurs in the GI tract of a developing baby to determine the fate of the GI, immune, cardiovascular and neurological systems that we need to protect it and treat it like glass. Antibiotics destroy this delicate balance. One thing we don’t seem to understand as a medical approach is that destruction of normal, protective flora with antibiotics actually INCREASES the risk of future infections.

This study further confirms this, showing that “protective” antibiotics for urinary tract infections in children can increase the risk for antimicrobial resistance by 7.5 times! On the flip side, probiotics coupled with some pure cranberry juice (or d-mannose, the sugar in cranberry that does the work) will knock out most recurrent UTIs.

Read entire article here

CRANBERRY VS ANTIBIOTICS FOR UTI

by

Cranberries are one of those natural remedies that come to mind first thing when someone mentions urinary tract infections.  Usually, when a recommendation like cranberries for UTIs has passed the test of time, it’s because there is validity to the claim.

So, we can accept that cranberries are good for UTIs, but are they being used in the most effective manner?  This particular study put cranberry capsules head to head with an antibiotic regimen for a year in women who suffered with recurrent UTIs.

The results were that the antibiotics were more effective, but within a single month antibiotic resistance was beginning to develop.  Keep in mind that the cranberry was effective, just not quite as effective as the antibiotics by a few percentage points.

Now for the important things to consider.  First, I am not a fan of using supplements vs the actual juice.  Then, it needs to be the real stuff, not the cocktail, sugar laden junk that many buy thinking it’s going to help with their UTIs.  I will usually tell patients to down a jar in a day for the strongest effects.

Even better is a two step approach.  First, it is actually a non-metabolized sugar called d-mannose that is believed to do the work of the cranberries.  So our bodies absorb it, but most of the d-mannose shows up in the urine and has no effect on blood sugar. 

E. coli is the most common agent causing UTIs and creates problems when the pili attach to the lining of our urinary tract.   When d-mannose is present, however, the E. coli attach to the d-mannose instead of your urinary tract and subsequently gets washed away.  So using the d-mannose directly instead of the cranberry juice can be far more effective in managing chronic UTIs. 

The other step involves making sure that E. coli does not make it to the opening of the urinary tract (the urethra) in the first place.  In a normal female who has never been on antibiotics will have plenty of healthy bacterial flora present to constantly secrete low levels of lactic acid, thus keeping the E. coli from the urethra in the first place. 

Ironically, antibiotics may actually increase the risk for UTIs by destroying this normal flora, making it easier for E. coli to make it to the urethra.  So, the second step is actually using probiotic douches (preferably with distilled water, if not, then vinegar is ok) daily for a week.

The combination of the d-mannose and probiotic douches will be far more effective than the cranberry juice alone.  So, if this study finds that antibiotics are only a little better than cranberry juice, I’d love to see this 2 step approach go head to head with antibiotics.

Read more…